My Promise to You
by WriteroftheWest
Summary: Jack promised Yusei he would always keep him safe, even if it meant sacrificing his life for his sake. He would love and care for him every second of their lives. Always. But later in life, a dramatic change wasn't what they were expecting...


Look who's back! It's been a _really long time_ since I've posted anything, so I thought I might change that by sharing this wonderful story with my readers.

Like anyone who had followed 5D's as closely as I had, I'm still pretty sad to have seen it leave, like all good shows do, but I refused to stop writing stories about them. I came up with the idea for this story four months ago and kinda put it on the back burner for three months while having to deal with school projects and all that jazz. It wasn't until a few weeks ago this idea came back to me and really captured my attention and began working on it. And so I'm here to share this story with all of you.

I hope you enjoy and I look forward to your comments. :)

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><p><span>My Promise to You<span>

Chapter 1 – Martyr

"Yusei, let's go!" said the demanding voice of the nine-year-old blonde boy, Jack. He stood at the base of the wooden staircase waiting for his friend to hurry up with getting ready.

"Coming!" said the dark haired boy, Yusei, about the age of eight, as he descended the stairs in a hurry, not seeming to skip a beat on his way down.

He came to a halt by the taller boy's side, slipping his right arm into his blue denim jacket and over his shoulder. The blonde boy reached out with his left hand and took hold of Yusei's right hand reducing the chances of losing him on their walk to their destination.

"Ready?" Yusei squeaked with an energetic smile.

Having given a nod in agreement, Jack was practically drug by the small boy to the front hall in which only three pairs of shoes resided, his, Yusei's and their foster mother's, Martha. They slipped their feet into their shoes with ease having learned early on the trick of tying their shoes in a way so they would go on easy and stay on their feet.

"You remembered to tell Martha where we're going, right?" Jack asked as Yusei closed the door to the front of the rundown townhouse.

He paused for a moment with a blank stare on his face, "Uh…" He said in thought.

"You better go tell her, otherwise she'll be on our case when we get back," Jack sighed.

"One minute!" the little boy said quickly opening the door and disappearing in a blink of an eye.

Silence set in as the older boy took a seat on the door step while he waited. Once again the sky was overcast and every building on the street seemed even colder and lifeless. As far as he knew, there was no hope for them, the residence of Satellite. He couldn't understand why the city didn't want anything to do with them and why they were labeled as "trash". Satellite people were living, breathing human beings just like those of the city, and they weren't inanimate pieces of garbage which lie in the surrounding areas. They were victims of an unfair and cruel fate passed down from the generations before them. Maybe someday someone would rise from the depths of Satellite and fight for their rights—Satellite's rights. Someday…

"Back!" Yusei breathed stepping out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. He breathed heavily having run around the house trying to find Martha whom he eventually found out in the garden tending to the plants.

"Did she say it was ok?" Jack asked standing up and straightening his jacket.

"Yeah, she said as long as I stay with you we can go anywhere, but we have to be back for dinner," Yusei said as he descended the set of steps.

"Let's go," Jack said as he held out his hand to the younger boy who accepted right away.

Holding hands was a thing they had grown accustomed to whenever they decided to go somewhere by themselves, it let Jack keep Yusei near for he was notorious for wondering off by himself, oblivious to danger, and because he was still young his sense of direction was impaired so he couldn't remember the way home. Being the brother figure he was, Jack would do anything to keep Yusei safe even if it meant stepping in the line of danger when they are confronted by shady characters and gangs. Plus, if they didn't arrive at home together, Martha would get mad at him because he was older and was considered to be the older brother and it was his responsibility to look after his little brother.

Despite the gloomy atmosphere, Yusei had found a reason to smile which made Jack wonder. The little boy's blue eyes were big, bright, and innocent while his smile spoke of energy and sheer joy. Perhaps it was the fact that he was able to hang out with his big brother he found exciting and fun. Or, perhaps, it was the fact that he was an all around happy kid who always looked on the bright side of things. Either way, Jack was glad to have him for a brother. He took the gloom and depression out of each day.

"Jack…?" came his little voice, all happiness seemed to have disappeared, his pace came to a gradual halt. His hand started to tremble. His sixth sense had kicked in.

They stood in the middle of a deserted street, surrounded by towering, crumbling buildings; Yusei scoped the premises with his quick eyes. An eerie feeling had set in, something wasn't right… He tugged on Jack's hand and pointed to the street corner before the figure disappeared around the corner.

"Just keep walking," Jack whispered to him before they continued on their way.

Against his will, Yusei followed, his heart pounding in his chest, his grip tightened on the older boy's hand, depending on him for protection. Their trek to the street corner which they would turn in order to reach their destination was brutally interrupted as a large figure jumped out in front of them, standing about six feet tall. Yusei suppressed his squeak in terror and got behind Jack who stood firm and ready to put up a fight if he had to. The dark haired man approached them, a wicked smile spread across his face which was marked with vibrant yellow lines, the kind of people Martha told them to stay away from. Criminals…

"Well, well, look what we have here," the man spoke in an intimidating manner as he approached the boys, holding a rope firmly in his hands. "Two kids who've wondered farther than they should've."

"What do you suppose we do with 'em?" came a second crazy and maniacal male voice from behind.

"I think we'd get a good payday if we took 'em live," another deeper voice said with a slight gang feel to it.

Jack's furious violet eyes darted from face to face as the group of about five guys closed in on him and Yusei, all of their faces harbored different criminal markers.

"Aren't you cute, lookin' like you's going to take us on," said the same guy with the high pitched voice and crazed sound to his voice who stood fairly lanky next to the dark haired man who looked far more stronger than he did.

The group chuckled with a certain no good to it.

"Alright boys," the muscular dark haired man addressed the small kids, "we can do this one of two ways, you can give yourselves to us without any harm _or_ you can _try_ to escape, which, will ultimately lead to your immediate capture. So what'dya say, blondie?"

"Jack, I'm scared," Yusei whispered, his voice trembling in fear. But his words were met with silence from the older boy.

"I'm sick of waiting, lets nab 'em!" said the crazed skinny man said impatiently.

Within a blink of an eye, the man had lashed out with his long arms before anyone in the gang could stop his impulse to get the job done. Jack instinctively jumped backward out of the man's reach and sent Yusei in the same direction, landing on his butt on the solid ground. The raven haired boy looked up, his nerves shaken, his heart pounding, his whole body petrified in fear, waiting for some sign from Jack as to what to do next.

The lanky man was roughly pulled back by the leader of the group who glared at the two boys. "Well?" He asked, his patients running thin as was everyone else's. "I'm going to give you to the count of five, or we'll have your ass, blondie." He growled raising his right hand covered by a black, fingerless glove putting one finger up to start the count.

"One…"

"Yusei," Jack said to the boy as he slowly got to his feet, "I have a plan."

"Two…"

"What is it?" Yusei asked quietly out of fright.

"Three…"

"I will hold them off, while you make a run for it,"

"Four…"

"What about you?" Yusei asked in concern.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Jack said quickly, "I just want you to be safe."

"But Jack-"

"Five…time's up boy," the muscular man said as he lowered his hand, clenching the rope between his hands.

"Let's get 'em boys!" the skinny man commanded the group as they quickly closed in on them.

"Run!" Jack commanded Yusei.

"But-" Yusei squeaked in hesitation.

"Run, now!" Jack yelled in more of a demanding tone.

Without prolonging the wait, Yusei made a mad dash for the slightest clearing from the group, between the legs of the crazed man. He took off at a pace faster than what he would usually run; his heart pounding and his adrenalin rushing through his veins. He had made it to the safety of the street corner, his chest heaving painfully trying to regulate his breathing after having sprinted nearly a half mile. He turned to look at the group he had evaded. His heart sank. Where was Jack?

"Get off of me!" he heard Jack yell amidst the cackling.

He could feel himself start to tremble in sheer terror. What was he supposed to do now? Jack was in trouble and he needed to help, but how? He never had the chance to stick up for himself for it was always Jack who was there to take the beating, yet now the roles have changed and he was determined to do something no matter how dangerous it was going to be, he _had_ to save his brother. He quickly overcame his fear of the gang for they were nothing but desperate punks out for cheap entertainment. His quick blue eyes scouted out the premises for anything that would serve as a good weapon against those guys. He found a gleaming piece of a partially old rusted, metal water pipe that once was connected to a faucet of some sort within the building it lay next to. He hurried to the location of the pipe and picked it up with his small hands, nearly dropping it for he never expected for it to be so heavy from the way it looked. He took a deep breath in through his mouth and heaved the piece of metal over his right shoulder. This was payback time.

"How much do ya think we'll get for him?" the crazed man asked as he and the other four guys towered over the now bound and gagged Jack who lay on his side, struggling to break free of the bonds which held his hands behind his back and his feet together.

"I don't think we're going to sell him. I like the idea of keeping him for myself," said the leader of the group with a sinister grin.

The group of criminals laughed at the sight of the boy knowing that he probably wouldn't last long. Before the last laugh, there was the sound of metal against a hard surface with a bone chilling "crack" in the midst of it which ended with a "thud". The group's attention went straight to their fallen comrade who had been slugged on the back of his head with something heavy enough that would crack his skull, thick crimson colored blood oozed from the inflicted wound. Above the man stood a strong and determined Yusei gripping the pipe now layered with a thin covering of blood, panting from having expelled too much energy for his first attack.

"What is this?" the leader asked in an outrage.

"Payback!" Yusei exclaimed.

"Ok you little bastard, you've pissed me off," the leader growled angrily at him.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Yusei said as all eyes turned to him.

The leader of the group narrowed his dark eyes. "Kill him…" He growled the order.

Yusei gripped the pipe as tight as his little hands could and prepared to start swinging as two guys closed in on him. The guy with the jagged piece of metal tried stabbing him with the rusted tip. He closed his blue eyes and swung that pipe through the air, managing to knock the piece of metal out of his hand the first time and then smashing the side of his face on the return swing; he too was sent to the ground in a puddle of blood for his jaw had been dislodged and the bone cracked. Up next was the biggest and bulkiest man of the group, he had a wooden baseball bat with rusted nails sticking out of it in all directions. He took a swing at Yusei who ultimately ducked out of range and stepped back as the man approached him again and swung the bat, locking with Yusei's pipe covered in blood. The man chuckled evilly as he saw the fear spread across the boy's face before stepping forward to grab him by the shirt. Being smaller and quicker, Yusei jumped back on instinct and used his metal pipe to his defense making contact with the man's hand and sending it in the same direction as the pipe was going with a chilling "snap". The man burst out in pain for his wrist and hand had been broken by the blow. Yusei closed his eyes again and took a few wild swings in order to bring the man down. When he opened his eyes he counted two bodies on the ground in a growing pool of blood from each of them.

"Bastard," the crazed, skinny man snorted stepping up to take on the dark haired boy.

After minutes on end, Jack finally made it to sitting position. He watched in shock as the crazed man wearing the green and black sunglasses reach behind himself and withdrew two things which appeared to be large hooks. They stood like two cowboys in a duel in those Western movies they'd used to watch. But this wasn't a movie, this was real.

"You're gonna pay, bitch," the crazed man said before launching into a series of swift and fast movements with those hooks as though they were feathers.

Yusei had no clue as to what to do about this guy with the hooks; he wasn't given enough time to think. He swung the pipe in attempt to catch the man off guard, but it was rendered fruitless for he was quick in dodging it, lunging forward with the hook in his left hand and pulling Yusei's leg out from under him. The boy fell backwards, dropping the pipe which rolled and stopped a few feet away from him. He started to panic. How was he going to get out of this on his own? The crazed man cackled as he approached him. On a split decision, Yusei scrambled to his feet and made a mad dash for the pipe, he quickly snatched it from the rough and aged tarred road which moderately scrapped his knuckles and still bled. He backed away with the pipe firmly in his grasp, sparing with the lanky man. The man lashed out with his right hook to distract the boy before swiping him with the left, the filed down point of the hook grazing Yusei's cheek, the wound shedding blood immediately. Yusei winced in pain and tried fighting it. The man lunged forward to lash out again at the shaken boy and at the same time Yusei swung the pipe. There was a dull "clank" as hook and pipe locked before a struggled choking noise came from the man. Yusei looked up as the blood streamed down his cheek to see Jack with his right arm around the man's neck from behind, holding his right wrist with his left hand, choking the man.

"No one touches my brother!" Jack exclaimed furiously as the adrenaline gave him the strength to increase the hold he had on the man's neck.

The man let one last struggling noise escape his throat before dropping to his knees in a blackout. But a blackout wasn't enough to satisfy Jack. No. He had to pay. The man had dropped his weapons and tried to reach up and grab Jack's arm from around his neck, Jack jerked back on the guy's neck in a sudden motion which ended with a sickening "snap", and then…nothing. Jack released his hold on the man, his muscles burned as they relaxed, watching as his limp body fell to the ground with a "thud". His chest burned. Now he was satisfied.

"Jack!" Yusei squeaked as he rushed to his side, still carrying the pipe.

"Yusei!" Jack breathed in relief as he opened his arms to him.

Yusei was almost in Jack's embrace when he was yanked backward; a frightened squeak escaped his throat as the pipe dropped from his hand as the ground seemed to go out from under his feet.

"Just where do you think you're going?" the man who was the head honcho of the gang asked Yusei as he dangled helplessly from the man's grasp on the back of his shirt. "You're supposed to be dead, and _you-_" he pointed at Jack "-are mine."

Yusei struggled to lose the man's grip on his shirt.

"Struggling is pointless, you dirty bastard," the man growled.

At the same moment a "clang" rang throughout the pipe, now in the hands of Jack who had taken it to the man's shin while he was distracted. The man grimaced and buckled in pain letting go of Yusei who cushioned his landing by his feet but ultimately collapsed onto his knees, skinning them from the force of the fall, laying belly down on the ground.

"Get up!" Jack hurried him as he slowly got to his feet, his knees now stinging from the open wounds.

"You won't get away with this!" the man shouted as he picked up the sharp piece of rusted metal from his fallen comrade and threw it like a ninja star in Yusei's direction.

All at once, Yusei had ducked and Jack had stepped in the line of fire just in time, swinging the metal pipe and hitting the piece of metal in midflight, like a baseball, directing it into an incompletely shattered window of the building nearby. Yusei looked up as the last piece of glass fell from the frame and shattered into a million shimmering pieces on the sidewalk below; his blue eyes gazed up at the blonde boy before him who stood strong and triumphantly, the blood on the pipe slowly coating his skin.

"Fine, if that's what you want, then I will kill you as well," the man said having picked up his comrades hooks as he stood up.

"What are we going to do?" Yusei whispered as he stood behind Jack.

"What we do best. Live," Jack told him with a triumphant smile.

Before Yusei could pose another question, the man charged at them swinging the hooks, just barely missing Jack upon ducking. Yusei fled just as the man took a swing at him. The hook had hooked the hood of Yusei's jacket, but the forward force and the pointed tip tore through the fabric before he got away. Jack, on the other hand, swung the pipe in hopes of distracting the man while Yusei got to safety. The pipe clashed with the man's right hook as the two locked in heated combat. The man let out an angered yell which resonated throughout the street before going full force at the nine-year-old boy, barely thinking any of his attacks through. Yusei watched the fight from the safety of the nearest streetlight; his chest heaved trying to recuperate from having run at full speed. He stumbled forward as his vision nearly went black, the grip he had on pole had kept him from falling. He pulled himself up with the little strength he had left, he felt physically weak from blood loss and on the verge of passing out. He couldn't give up now, he told himself. He had to muster up every ounce of strength and courage he had left to help Jack take this man down. He scanned the premises for anything which would provide some sort of weapon. Anything would work. Anything…

Jack moved as fast as he could to avoid being hooked by the man, and tried as hard as he could to strike him with the pipe. The man charged in for a direct attack, but Jack held up the pipe locking both hooks fighting against the pressure the man barred down on him with. With every ounce of strength he could muster, Jack pushed against the hooks as hard as he could and broke free, and moved toward the other side of the street, panting in extreme exhaustion as did the dark haired man.

"It's useless trying to prolong your emanate death, boy!" the man barked. "There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide."

Without warning, he went full force toward Jack, hooks raised and ready to strike. With one last breath and extreme fatigue pulling at him, Jack tightened his grip on the pipe and swung with all his might. Their weapons continued to clash as the man pushed the distracted boy into a corner where he finally had the upper hand. Jack pressed himself against the wall, the pipe dropped from his weak grasp, his chest burned with every breath. The man reached out and grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the side of the building, choking the boy with his hand.

"Nowhere to run," the dark-eyed man told the boy with a sinister cackle as he reached into his black leather vest. He pointed the end of the loaded gun at the boy's chest, his finger on the trigger. "Once I'm done with you, that other brat is next."

Jack gulped as his heart now pounded in his chest. For once, he was truly terrified, not for his life, but instead for Yusei's. He had always been a martyr, willing to sacrifice his safety-his life–for Yusei, the little dark haired boy was the only family he's truly know his whole life. He was a friend _and_ a brother, he always will be. If the man ended up taking his life too, at least it would end the curse of having to live a life of poverty and despair, and for once, he could be eternally happy. Before his time on earth ended, his only desire was that they would end up in the same place together in the afterworld.

The man chuckled at the sight of Jack's helpless expression, pressing the barrel of the gun further against his chest, imposed on striking more fear into the boy.

"Don't…don't take Yusei's life," Jack choked as a clap of thunder resonated down the street.

"Don't you worry, I'll make his death quick and painless," the man said.

Jack closed his eyes, feeling that within the next ten seconds, he'd be dropped dead. A few distinct "clang" sounds rang throughout the street amidst a loud rumble of thunder soon followed by drops of rain. He opened his eyes just as the dark haired man dropped to the sidewalk, behind him stood Yusei, his tired hands holding on as tight as they could to that metal pipe, now layered with a fresh coating of blood. He looked up at the older boy his blue eyes wide, his chest heaved in severe exhaustion. His legs buckled underneath him and he fell on to his hands and knees dropping the bloodstained pipe. Jack knelt down in front of him, reaching out and placing his hands on his shoulders. Yusei looked up at him as rain drops grazed his face. A thankful smile crossed Jack's face as Yusei sat up, returning a weaker smile. He closed his eyes and broke out into a weak laughter. He was proud of himself for overcoming his fear and for sticking up for him and Jack throughout this whole ordeal, but most of all, he was thankful that they were both still alive. In the midst of his laughter, tears started to stream down his cheeks alongside the raindrops.

The blonde boy got to his feet and offered his hands to the younger boy. The raven haired boy took hold of his brother's hands and was pulled up to his feet. The rain now fell at a steady rate soaking the ground and the two boys as they made their way back to Martha's place. No words were exchanged on their trek back to the house for they were exhausted from the incident. By the time they reached the front door, from head to toe, inside out, they were soaking wet. Jack opened the door to the house and let Yusei enter before he did, closing the door behind himself.

"Jack? Yusei? Are you home?" Martha asked from within the kitchen.

"Yes, Martha!" Yusei squeaked in a familiar happy tone.

"You two better wash up for dinner, it's almost ready," she told them.

Yusei went ahead and turned on the light in the half bathroom adjacent to the front door and climbed atop the small stepstool so that he could reach the faucet for he was only four feet tall. He turned on the water which came on as a bitter cold temperature before finally warming up. He lathered his small hands in soap making sure he scrubbed the blood off of his knuckles and then took his time rinsing his hands under the warm water.

"Yusei," he heard Jack say his name once he turned the faucet off.

Jack stood beside him on the stool as he turned to dry his hands on the hand towel. The older boy turned the water back on and soaked a dish cloth he had taken from the kitchen. He turned off the water and rung it out so it was only damp. Yusei looked over at Jack just as he placed the cloth on his left cheek and started to tend to his wound.

"Ow!" Yusei exclaimed turning his face away, the cut stinging in pain.

"Sorry," Jack apologized. He had been a little rough. "It's going to sting before it gets better."

Yusei huffed, promising himself he wouldn't fuss while Jack cleaned his face and knees. He hopped off the stool and took a seat for his feet hurt; Jack took a seat next to him and continued to clear his cheek of dirt and dry blood.

"Jack," Yusei said as the boy went to rinse the rag under warm water. He sat back down as he was met by Yusei's big blue eyes, "I'm glad you're my brother."

The blonde smiled, "Me too."

The two entered the kitchen now dressed in their warm pajamas for their regular clothes had been soaked by the rain. Yusei crawled into his chair at the table and Jack took his seat next to him.

"Look at you two," Martha cooed as she set down a plate of bread on the table, "dressed in your pj's already?"

Yusei nodded with an "Mm-hm."

"What happened?" she asked as her brown eyes spotted the bandage across Yusei's cheek.

"It was an accident," he said placing his hand over the bandage to keep her from looking at it, "I hurt myself."

"Oh…my poor baby," she said before kissing him.

"I put the bandage on," Jack said, wanting some attention as well.

"I guess we should start calling you Doc now, huh?" she said with a smile before bending over to give him a kiss as well.

She turned and headed over to the stove, opening a cupboard door and retrieving three bowls.

"So what did you guys do?" she asked out of general curiosity.

Yusei looked over at the other boy, he knew the answer but he wasn't sure what he thought. The blonde shook his head and put a finger to his lips telling him to keep what happened earlier a secret.

"Nothing," Yusei said with a shrug as Martha placed a bowl of soup in front of him and the other in front of Jack, "we just went to the swing. That's where I hurt myself."

"I guess we're going to stay-in tonight," she said looking out the window above the sink as drops of rain pelted the glass.

"Let's watch a movie," Jack suggested.

"Good idea," Martha said as she sat down with a bowl of soup at the end of the table.

The clock struck midnight when the door to the boys' bedroom was pushed open by the blonde. He led a half asleep and worn-out Yusei into the room who stumbled over a few stray articles of clothing before reaching the bed. A flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder from outside woke the tired boy. He held onto Jack's arm as tight as he could. He was terrified of thunderstorms.

"It's ok, Yusei. It won't hurt you," Jack reassured the shaken boy.

The raven haired boy crawled under the covers once they had been pulled aside and hid underneath them before another flash of lightning lit up the room despite the closed curtains. The older boy crawled onto the bed and over to the other side and got comfortable under the covers. Yusei poked his head out from under the covers.

"Aren't you scared, Jack?" he asked softly.

"No," he answered tiredly.

"Why's that?" Yusei inquired to know.

Jack shrugged. "I don't get scared. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Really? Is that why you thought you could take those guys on?"

"Sort of… I just wanted you to be safe. I didn't want those jerks to hurt you,"

"But what about you? Don't you care if you get hurt?"

"Well, yeah, but… I promised Martha I would keep you safe, no matter what,"

"Oh…well that's a silly thing to promise. I don't like it when people get hurt. Good people, not those bad guys,"

"You'll understand when you're older…"

"Ok, but we made it out alive anyway,"

"We're alive…"

A yawn escaped Yusei's throat, seeming to forget his fear of the storm outside. "Night, Jack." The raven haired boy pulled the blanket over his head and closed his eyes seeming to feel comforted enough to go to sleep.

"Night, Yusei…"

If only he knew how much he cared about him…then he'd know why he'd sacrifice his life for his sake…

_To be continued..._

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><p><em>AN:_ They never really talked about Yusei, Jack, and Crow's childhood living in Satellite in the series other than the fact that their parents were killed, they were taken care of by Martha, and they lived a life of desolation. I would have suspected that some point in their childhood, before Martha took Crow in, that Jack would have done anything to keep Yusei from harm on numerous accounts. I would imagine at a young age, Yusei depended on Jack for a defense, and then at some point he would have found his courage and take a stand for himself and Jack. I would assume they were pretty tough kids. :) I am sorry for any grammatical errors; I've done my best in trying to find them.

Don't forget to leave a comment! ;)

~AC2

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's © Kazuki Takahashi


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